Samson: Stop fish trading in front of plaza
WHILE Dagupeños sleep through the night and the wee hours of the morning, many are unaware that the hallowed grounds reserved for annual commemorative rites honoring Jose Rizal and national heroes, are turned into hours of frenzy bangus trading.
This was pointed out by Dagupan City Councilor Luis Samson Jr. as he called for action over the unabated practice of loading and unloading fish in front of the City Plaza, leaving a dingy place as laborers account for the stench, selling “imported’ fish from western towns and as far as Malabon.
Samson said it is a violation of a long-standing ordinance that he authored in 1998.
He said Ordinance 1653-98, which he authored along with the late Councilor Miguel Caguioa, prohibits the handling of fish cargo in the areas surrounding the city plaza and provides penalties for violators.
“What used to be a glorious site of the City Plaza, where the City Museum is located, is now abound with a fishy smell and the only thing we need is to implement the rule of law —forthwith,” he said in his speech during the inaugural session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod last week.
Section 4 of the ordinance provides that a violator shall pay a fine of not less than P1,000 but not more than P5,000 or be imprisoned for 15 days but not more than 30 days, or both fine and imprisonment, depending on the discretion of the court.
Samson cited the unimplemented ordinance as he called on his colleagues to take decisive action over what he called “the unpleasant state of our city streets and marketplace.”
He also noted that several main streets, such as A.B. Fernandez Avenue, Galvan, Nueva and Zamora Streets, had been converted into public markets.
Compounding to this problem, according to him, is the use of Galvan Street itself by motor repair shops, exacerbating traffic congestion in the area.
He told his fellow councilors that they can work together as a team in helping Mayor Belen Fernandez “return our streets to normalcy.” (Leonardo Micua)
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